The upside of sick…

Saturday, January 30, 2010

So I was lamenting to my sister the other day how the only upside of being sick is that you usually lose a few pounds, but my weight hasn’t budged an ounce! Sure, I haven’t been to the gym in days, but my body’s been working overtime to fight the infection (Did you know you burn 7% more calories per degree your temperature is raised?) and I haven’t been able to stomach much food for days (I’m drinking apple juice like it’s my job just to get some calories.).

Then I decided to shed the 12 layers of germ-soaked clothing I’ve been wearing for 3 days and tada! Two pounds down… “I’m one stomach flu away from my goal weight.” (Name that movie.)

[FYI, I would never wish to be sick to lose weight (trust me, I LOVE food), I’m just trying to find the positive to my third day stuck inside on the sofa. I swear, I’m developing pressure ulcers…]

So to inspire you those of you who CAN go to the gym, I’m sharing those treadmill routines I mentioned a few weeks ago.

These are great for those just learning to run who want to ease into it or for avid runners who want to work on speed training. I love them because it keeps me from getting bored—keeping track of the timing and having mini-goals within my workout distract me. Plus, the variation in speeds keeps your heart rate moving up and down, which is good for you.

The first one is pretty simple—I learned it from my friend Lindsey in college. It’s a 45 minute routine: you walk 3 minutes, run for 1, and repeat twice more (total of 3, 3:1 cycles). THEN walk 3 min, run 2 and repeat twice (for a total of 3, 3:2 cycles). Are you seeing the pattern? Then walk 3 and run 3 (for a total of 3, 3:3 cycles). You can vary your speeds to your liking… I generally start high at the beginning since I’m only running for one minute. By the end, you’re running longer but at slower speeds than when you started so it doesn’t seem as painful. Anywho—here it is mapped out:

Clock

Minutes

Speed

0:00- 3:00

3

Walk

3:00- 4:00

1

Run

4:00- 7:00

3

Walk

7:00- 8:00

1

Run

8:00- 11:00

3

Walk

11:00- 12:00

1

Run

12:00- 15:00

3

Walk

15:00- 17:00

2

Run

17:00- 20:00

3

Walk

20:00- 22:00

2

Run

22:00- 25:00

3

Walk

25:00- 27:00

2

Run

27:00- 30:00

3

Walk

30:00- 33:00

3

Run

33:00- 36:00

3

Walk

36:00- 39:00

3

Run

39:00- 42:00

3

Walk

42:00- 45:00

3

Run

Routine #2

This one I got from Fitness Magazine sometime last year. This one’s only 30 minutes, but trust me, it will kick your butt. I think it’s the incline…

Clock

Min

Speed

Incline

0:00- 5:00

5

3.5 mph

0%

5:00- 10:00

5

4.5-5.0 mph

1%

10:00- 11:00

1

3.5 mph

0%

11:00- 15:00

4

5.0-6.0 mph

2%

15:00- 16:00

1

3.5 mph

0%

16:00- 19:00

3

5.5-6.5 mph

3%

19:00- 20:00

1

3.5 mph

0%

20:00- 22:00

2

6.0-7.0 mph

4%

22:00- 23:00

1

3.5 mph

0%

23:00-24:00

1

6.5-7.5 mph

4-5%

24:00-30:00

1

3.5 mph

0%

Lindsey, over at Those Mitchells, just put out a call for good running music, so head over there and share your ideas!

Now go hit the gym, ladies! Just take it easy if you’re a beginner. Read: if your feet are slamming the rubber like thunder and you’re holding the handrails for dear life, take it down a notch…

As for me, I’ll be on the couch watching the snow fall… (and reading trashy magazines and painting my toenails and watching 500 Days of Summer…)